Major operation in Engwang TG Police find human remains and arrest man (50)

There has been a new development in the suspected murder case in Engwang: emergency services have found human remains on the suspect's property. A 50-year-old man has been arrested.

This article was last comprehensively updated at 5.37 p.m.

The Thurgau cantonal police found human remains on a property in Engwang in the municipality of Wigoltingen TG on Tuesday. They arrested a 50-year-old Swiss man. He is suspected of having killed a woman who had been missing since the beginning of the year.

Since the early hours of the morning, a large-scale police operation has been underway on the property, which also houses a residential building. In the early evening, the public prosecutor's office and the cantonal police issued a joint statement announcing the discovery of human remains. "The identity is still unclear and is being clarified by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in collaboration with the forensic service."

The original focus of the operation was not only to search for a body, but also to recover evidence, as Fabian Mörtl, media spokesman for the Thurgau public prosecutor's office, explained in the afternoon. The search operation has not yet been completed, according to the press release issued on Tuesday evening.

The detached house and garden had already been completely fenced off in the morning. According to the "St. Galler Tagblatt", the alleged perpetrator and his victim lived in the house together. Among others, the forensic service and police dogs were on site.

Man is under urgent suspicion

The public prosecutor's office is conducting proceedings against the Swiss national arrested in Engwang on suspicion of intentional homicide. He is an "urgent suspect", according to a statement from the Thurgau public prosecutor's office and the cantonal police.

The investigation began after a 51-year-old woman was reported missing in January 2026. "We have carried out a very extensive investigation and, based on the findings, we are assuming a homicide", said Mörtl.

Woman and suspect were in a relationship

The arrested man and the 51-year-old woman were in a relationship, Mörtl continued. The missing persons report was filed by relatives of the woman. However, the spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office did not reveal whether the suspect was known to the police.

What other information the police gained at the scene and how many police officers were deployed was not disclosed for "tactical investigative reasons".